I have been working on the family tree for some time now. It is not a constant thing. I kinda go in spurts of interest. Sometimes I get a new picture or hear a new tale and that inspires me. At other times it may be a holiday,birthday or other special occasion. I was looking at it today when it struck me. My family tree has turned into a forest. At last count four thousand four hundred and twenty two related souls to mine. The dates stretch to the 1200's. The majority of that was retrieved from the internet and my subscription to Ancestry.com. I have done quite a bit of research but cannot claim full credit. Nevertheless, as I was looking at all this information I began to think about what I should do with it. How could I present this to others in a meaningful and relevant way. It was immediately obvious to me that some selective pruning was in order. But that is the first hurdle and I'm so far undecided on how to clear that. Everyone in our lives share equal importance. Each is a piece in the puzzle. How will it be possible to present the picture without all the pieces ? What story is it that I want to tell ? These are the questions I am faced with.
Sometimes answers can be found in the discussion of the problem or in this case the writing of the problem.
The verbalization or the writing of your thoughts. Now I'm thinking the story I want to tell is the story of me. It is the only story I know fully. If I go with that I should then prune those people that I do not have direct knowledge of. That would reduce the number considerably, but I fear, leave too little to work with. What point all that research if not utilized in some fashion ? The first hurdle stares at me.
Where does the story of me begin ? On a larger scale my story begins with the formation of the universe. I'm thinking that story is much too long, I'm not a Tolstoy. Another starting point must be chosen. I'm thinking I'll begin with my immigrant ancestors. Beginning there I can provide some physical evidence of their lives and existence. It may be nothing more than a tombstone or a name on a manifest but it is proof of the blood.
What to do with the names,dates and places of those before them ? Perhaps just a simple recording. A record of their passage through this world is all that is necessary. Seems a shame though. If I was not the one writing the story of me would I be included in another's' story ? Would I be pruned from the forest ?
I'll have to rethink this whole thing !
What do you think ?
Sometimes answers can be found in the discussion of the problem or in this case the writing of the problem.
The verbalization or the writing of your thoughts. Now I'm thinking the story I want to tell is the story of me. It is the only story I know fully. If I go with that I should then prune those people that I do not have direct knowledge of. That would reduce the number considerably, but I fear, leave too little to work with. What point all that research if not utilized in some fashion ? The first hurdle stares at me.
Where does the story of me begin ? On a larger scale my story begins with the formation of the universe. I'm thinking that story is much too long, I'm not a Tolstoy. Another starting point must be chosen. I'm thinking I'll begin with my immigrant ancestors. Beginning there I can provide some physical evidence of their lives and existence. It may be nothing more than a tombstone or a name on a manifest but it is proof of the blood.
What to do with the names,dates and places of those before them ? Perhaps just a simple recording. A record of their passage through this world is all that is necessary. Seems a shame though. If I was not the one writing the story of me would I be included in another's' story ? Would I be pruned from the forest ?
I'll have to rethink this whole thing !
What do you think ?
Having a little experience in this area maybe I can offer some advice or suggestions. One of my genealogical adventures before computers led me to a search for a name in each and every telephone book in the US and possessions !!! I don't know what you have back to 1200 but you don't want to get lost in the forest; it happens easily. My technique is to follow one ancestor until the fork in the road; pick one fork; stay with it; just let the miles roll by and enjoy the scenery. You're looking for patterns; usually of geography; then you jump off the train and study the landscape. I always like to figure out what was in these people's heads; where they staying or moving for some reason; its usually the same reasons as today - economic, romantic or political(wars, social upheaval). The human critter doesn't really change much; just the environment. And note the history around them at the time. My Irish ancestors might far enough back coincide with yours. Irish kings interspersed with the invading Vikings (some of our folks claim ancestry to Charlemagne because the names are derivatives and the time frames are collateral; but then again so names in Scandinavia !!! The history can be fascinating but real people lived then. Molly McQuire my most documented and famous ancestor turns up buried in the next county over in Ireland; probably all the unpleasantness with the English; but everyone else seemed to stayed put until the Famine. Some (more recent relatives) are still fighting the English along the Ulster border !!! Going back too far gets into myth, legends and stories. Document carefully step by step; when you get down the road you will have the whole map or at least a portion of the great story. Recently, I met a Jordanian and we were discussing the origins of the Damura tribe; the name precedes all of the great civilizations and is still recognized in the Middle East; we have branches worldwide across multiple cultures and religions. Can't make any connections to the American Indian cultures but then again you can read about the origins of the tribe in Genesis and a few other spots in the Bible !!!! I always joke that we have been on the run over that incident with the stolen camels; actually its over running a brothel but even after thousands of years who want to tell that story on their ancestors (later on there were princesses in mentioned the Bible) Basically, the name Damura is translated in some sense as "Cedars of Lebanon". Keep on the trail - you'll get there and have quite a story; these ancestor were busy folk living Life.
ReplyDeleteBen...that forestry is prevalent here too. Have you not found that a portion of my tree fits into your forest? I am currently swamped with 'documentation' of people and places..and though I am not at all complaining, I,too, will have to do some creative pruning...even when I tend to follow our direct lines,and not the off shoots of siblings,cousins,etc. (I do,of course, mention them,but I don't document their every movement,as I do/did with the main liners. Also, I'm thinking that rather than printing the actual documents such as census records,I'll just footnote instead. We all have our own methods,I guess...whatever works best for each of us.
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